Sewing devices

ABSTRACT

A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A FOLDING ASSEMBLY DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF THE PRESSER FOOT AND FEED BAR OF A SEWING MACHINE FOR FOLDING BACK SECTIONS OF A PAIR OF OVERLAPPED PIECES OF MATERIAL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SEAM PERPENDICULARLY FROM THE SEAM INTO PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP AND A MOVING AND PRESSING ASSEMBLY FOR MOVING THE SEWED OVERLAPPED SECTIONS OF MATERIAL REARWARDLY FROM THE MACHINE THROUGH THE   FOLDING ASSEMBLY AND PRESSING THE FOLDED SECTIONS IN THEIR PERPENDICULAR POSITIONS IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER.

United States Patent lnventor Ronald L. Timby Dallas, Tex. Appl. No.694,154 Filed Dec. 28, 1967 Patented June 28, I971 .Assignce MachineryAutomation Research Corporation Dallas, Tex.

SEWING DEVICES 19 Claims, 28 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 112/217 Int. Cl. D051) 27/00 Field olSearch ..112/217,63

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 528,468 10/1894 Emmons112/217(X) 2,159,416 5/1939 Anderson. .1 112/217 3,478,451 11/1969Sigoda 1l2/217X Primary Examiner-Richard .1. Scanlan, Jr.Attorney-Walter J, Jagmin ABSTRACT: A sewing machine having a foldingassembly disposed rearwardly of the presser foot and feed bar of asewing machine for folding back sections of a pair of overlapped piecesof material on opposite sides of the seam perpendicularly from the seaminto parallel relationship and a moving and pressing assembly for movingthe sewed overlapped sections of material rearwardly from the machinethrough the folding assembly and pressing the folded sections in theirperpendicular positions in parallel relationship to each other.

PATENIED JUN28 |97| SHEET 01 OF INVENTOR Roland L. Ti mby M BY a? 5ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUN28l97| 3.587.496

SHEET 03 0F 12 Fig.3

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ATENIED JUN28 1971 SHEET 05 [1F INVENTOR Av 111' j W92 v Roland L Tumby277 VI I HIM Fig.5

PATENTEUJUH28I97| 3,587,496

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Fig.24

INVENTOR Roland L.Timby M l? W ATTORNEY;

SEWING DEVICES This invention relates to sewing apparatus and moreparticularly to an apparatus for sewing a pair of overlapped pieces ofmaterial, folding sections of the pair of overlappedsewed pieces ofmaterial on opposite sides of the seam perpendicularly from the seaminto parallel relationship and pressing the folded sections to causethem to remain permanently in positions parallel to one another.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved sewingapparatus for sewing two overlapped pieces of material and for foldingthe sections of the two pieces of material lying on opposite sides ofthe seam joining them to one another to cause such sections. to remainin parallel relation to one another.

Another object is to provide a folding assembly which is of simpleconstruction and is easily securable to the base plate of the usualpower sewing machine and which does not unduly interfere with thehandling of the material during the sewing operations. I

Still another object is to provide a folding assembly which permits thetwo pieces of material sewed together by the sewing machine to move in astraight horizontal direction from the sewing machine without change ofdirection and wherein the sections of each piece of material on oppositesides of the seam are moved into vertical parallel abutting relationshipby the folding assembly for movement in this vertical position through apressing and moving assembly.

A further object is to provide a new and improved apparatus of the typedescribed wherein the moving and pressing assembly comprises a-rotarydrive andlieating roller coupled to a driving means by a yieldable oroverload release clutch coupling which permits the driving and heatingroller to remain stationary during periods of time during the sewingoperation in which the pieces of material are held stationary. by thepresser foot and feeder bar of'the sewing machine.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved folding deviceof the type described having conduit means for directing steam at thefolded sections of the pieces ofmaterial moving from the foldingassembly prior to their movement into engagement with the driving andheating roller, wherein the conduit means is provided with heating meanstoprevent condensation of moisture therein during the periods of timewhen the device is inoperative.

Another object is to provide a folding assembly which includes astationary member providing a vertical stop surface and a cam platehaving a vertical surface extending parallel to the vertical stopsurface, wherein the cam plate is yieldably biased toward the stopsurface to permit the cam plate to move toward and away from the stopsurface to accommodate folded back sections of pieces of material ofdifferent thicknesses.

A further object is to provide a folding assembly wherein the stationarymember is provided witha device for cuttinga chain of stitchesconnecting two successive sewed pairs of pieces of material and forthereafter holding the chainstitchiof the last pair of pieces wherebythe driver and heating or presser rollerby engaging the chain ofstitches connected to the subsequent pair of pieces of material may movesaid subsequent pair from the sewing machine through the folding device.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved means forconnecting the driving and heating roller of the pressing assembly to adriver means which when the force resisting the movement of the materialexceeds a predetermined force permits the driver and heating roller toremain stationary even though the driver means continues to operate.

Another object is to provide a sewing device which. is modified topermit the driver and heating roller to be located directly behind thepresser foot and feeder bar of the sewing machine and at foot same leveltherewith so that the pieces of material sewed together by the sewingmachine move directly rearwardly while in horizontal position withoutany upward or downward movement thereof.

Still another object is to provide a folding assembly and a driving andpressing assembly having means for preventing conduction of heat fromthe assemblies to other operative elements of the apparatus.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the reading of the following description of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to theaccompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a sewing machine provided with a foldingand pressing apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a frontview of the sewing machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the machine illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4is a sectional view, with some parts broken away, taken on line4-4'of FIG. 5;

Flg. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the folding andpressing assemblies with portions of the sewing machine removed;

Flg. 8 is a view taken with some parts removed taken on line 8-8 of FIG.5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side view of the overload release deviceillustrated in FIG. 9 with a housing thereof removed;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is asectional view taken on line 12-12 of FIG. 10;

Flg. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is a sectional'view, with some parts removed, taken on line14-14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken on line 15-15;

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a chain stitch cutting andholding assembly of the apparatus;

FIG. 17 is an exploded'perspective view of a cam plate assembly of theapparatus;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view with some parts broken away showing thedrive assembly of the feeder bar of thesewing machine modified to permitthe driving and heating roller to be disposed in vertical alignment withthe presser foot and feeder bar of the sewing machine;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 19-19 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the sectionsof a pair of pieces of material are progressively moved into verticalpositions during their movement through v the folding and pressingassemblies;

FIGS. 21, 22, 23, 24 and show the relative positions of the sidesectionsof the pieces of material at the locations indicated by thelines 21-21, 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, and 25-25; respectively, of FIG. 5;

FIG. 26 is a fragmentary top view with some parts removed showing amodified form of the folding assembly;

FIG. 27 is areduced vertical sectional view taken on line 27-27 of FIG.26; and

FIG. 28 is a diagrammatic illustration of control system of theapparatus.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 through 25 of the drawings, theapparatus embodying the invention for sewing two overlapped pieces 51and 52 (FIGS. 20-25) to one another long a longitudinal seam 53 movingthe sections 55 and 56 of the bottom piece 51 on opposite sides of theseam downwardly into parallel abutting relationship and the sections 57and 58 of the top piece 52 vertically upwardly from the seam intoparallel abutting relationship and pressing the folded sections to causethem to assume permanent or set flat and folded back positions includesthe usual sewing machine support frame 60 on which is mounted a powersewing machine 61, a folding assembly 62 which folds back the sectionsof the two pieces in opposite directions into parallel relationship fromthe seam as the portions are sewed together by the sewing machine andmove rearwardly therefrom, and a moving and pressing assembly 64 whichmoves the sewed portions rearwardly through the folding assembly andpresses the sections of the two pieces in their folded back positionsillustrated in FIG. 25. The moving and pressing assembly includes asteam conduit 65 through which steam flows from a suitable source and istransmitted and directed through the outlet 66 of the conduit (FIG. 6)to the folded sections of material as they move from the foldingassembly into the driving and heating assembly. 1

The support frame 60.may include the four columns 67 a--d provided attheir lower ends with foot plates 68 to which is secured a top 69. Asupport plate 70 extending below a forwardly opening aperture of slot 71of the top is rigidly secured to the top in any suitable manner as bybolts 73. The support frame 60 may also include longitudinally extendingbraces 74 between the end columns on each side of the frame, a reartransverse channel-shaped brace member 77 which extends between the rearcolumns 67a and 67b and a bottom bar 78 which extends transversely;between the bottom longitudinal braces 74 and is rigidly secured theretoin any suitable manner as by bolts 76. A pairof treadles 76 and 80 whichcontrol the operation of the sewing machine are pivotally mounted on thebar 78.

The treadle 79 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 81 extending between thelugs 82 and is connected by a suitable flexible member or chain 83 totheusual mechanism of the sewing machine (not shown), which raises theusual vertical presser plate 84 of the sewing machine when the treadle79 is depressed. The treadle 80 ispivotally mounted on the bar 78 bymeans of a shaft secured to the lugs 91. A link 92 has its lower endpivotally connected as by a shaft or pin 94 to a bracket 95 rigidlysecuredv to the treadle and upper end pivotally secured by means of apin 96 to the arm 97 ofa bellcrank 100 which is pivotally secured as bya pin 102 to a bracket 104 rigidly secured to the housing of an electricmotor 105. The upper end of the bellcrank is secured to the pin 105a ofa clutch 106 which, when the treadle is depressed and the bellcrank ispivoted in'a counterclockwise direction about its pin 102, FIG. 2,connects a pulley 110 in drive relation with and to the drive shaft ofthe electric motor.

- The motor is mounted to the plate 70 a bracket 112 whose upperhorizontal plate 113 is secured to the support plate 70 by bolts 114 andwhose rearwardly and downwardly extending arm 115 is pivotally secured,as by a shaft 116, to the lugs 117 of the motor. An adjustable arm 120has a top section 121 pivotally secured by means ofa pin 122 to thebrackets 123 integral with the plate 113 and a lower tubular section 125into which the top section 121 is telescoped. The bottom section has anelongate slot 127 through which a bolt 128 is threaded in a suitableaperture of the top section may extend. It will be apparent that thevertical position of the motor 105 and the tension on a belt 130, whichextends about the pulley 110 and a pulley 131 secured to the sewingmachine drive shaft 132, may be adjusted by varying the telescopedposition of the top section in the bottom section 125 in which it issecured by the bolt.

A sprocket 134 is also secured to the drive shaft 132 and is connectedby a belt 136 to a sprocket 137 rigidly secured to the input shaft 138of a speed reducing transmission 140. The belt 136 is provided withteeth 1370 which mesh with appropriate teeth of the sprockets 134 and137. The input shaft extends through the sidewalls 141 and 142 of thetransmission housing, secured to the horizontal top plate 144 of abracket 145 which is secured by screws or bolts 146 to the sewingmachine housing, the sidewalls being provided with suitable bearings 14bin which the shaft is journaled. The input shaft 138 has secured theretoa worm gear 147 and a stop collar 148. The worm gear meshes with a gear149 secured to a transverse shaft 150 which extends longitudinallythrough the transmission housing and is journaled in the end walls 151and 152 of the housing. The ends of the shaft may extend throughsuitable bearings 153 and 154. The gear 149 is secured to the transverseshaft by a setscrew 155. A worm gear 156 rigidly secured to thetransverse shaft meshes with a gear 159 rigidly secured, as by asetscrew 161, to the output shaft 162 of the speed-reducing transmissionwhich is journaled in the sidewalls 141 and 142 of the transmissionhousing by means of suitable bearings 166. Stop collars and 171 securedto the output shaft 162 by setscrews 172 limit its longitudinalmovement.

The output shaft 162 of the speed-reducing transmission extendsoutwardly of the sidewall 142 of the speed-reducing transmission 140into the housing 174 (FIG. 9) of an overload release coupling 175 whichis secured to the sidewall 142 by means of screws 176 which extendthrough suitable apertures in the flanges 177 of the coupling housing174 into threaded bores in the sidewall 142. The overload releasecoupling 175 which connects the output shaft of the speed-reducingtransmission to a connector shaft 180 includes a dish-shaped inputcoupling 181, rigidly secured to the output shaft 162 by a setscrew 183,whose diametrically opposed lugs 184 extend into the diametricallyopposed peripheral slots 185 of an outer pressure plate or ring 189. Thehub is longitudinally slidable on the connector shaft and is heldagainst rotation relative thereby by a pin 191 which is rigidly securedto the shaft which extends radially outwardly into a longitudinal slot192 of the hub. A ring 194 of friction material such as cork or the likeis adhesively secured to one of the pressure plates, for example, thepressure plate 186, and frictionally engages the other friction plate189. The input coupling has a similar friction ring 196 secured thereto,as by an adhesive or bonding agent, which is interposed between thefacing surfaces of the inner pressure plate and the input coupling.

The outer pressure plate 186 is yieldably biased inwardly toward theinput coupling by a spring 198 whose outer end bears against theexternal flange 199 of a nut 200 threaded on the inner reduced end 201of the connector shaft bearing 202 located in the reduced bore 204 ofthe housing and held against rotation relative thereto by a setscrew206. The other end of the spring bears against a spring centralizerplate 207 slidable longitudinally on the hub 187 of the inner pressureplate or ring. A roller bearing assembly 210 is disposed about the huband interposed between the outer pressure plate 186 and the centralizerplate. The force with which the spring biases the pressure platesinwardly toward the input coupling 181 may be adjusted by rotating thenut 200 whose flange 199 is accessible through a top opening 212 of thehousing 174. A lockscrew 214 threaded through a suitable aperture of thehousing is engageable with the nut 200 to hold it against rotation onthe threaded portion 202 of the bearing 203 in any adjusted position towhich it is rotated.

It will be apparent that as the speed-reducing transmission output shaft162 rotates, the input coupling 181 and the outer pressure plate 186rotate with the output shaft 162 and the frictional engagement of thefriction plates 194 and 196 with the inner pressure plate 189 tends tocause it to rotate with the output shaft and thus also cause rotation ofthe connector shaft 180 such rotation of the inner plate relative to theconnector shaft 180 is prevented by the engagement of the pin 192 withthe surfaces of the hub 187 of the inner pressure plate defining theslot 192. If the force tending to resist rotation of the connector shaft180 exceeds a predetermined valve, which may be adjusted by adjustingthe location of the adjusting nut 200 on the threaded portion 201 of theshaft bearing 202, the shaft 180 and an inner pressure plate 189 willremain stationary, the friction rings 194 and 196 then sliding on theopposite surfaces of the inner friction plate 189. When the forcetending to resist rotation of the connector shaft 180 is again decreasedwhile the output shaft 162 continues to rotate the connector shaft 180will again be rotated. It will thus be apparent that the overloadrelease coupling 175 causes the output shaft 162 to rotate the shaft 180whenever the force resisting rotation of the connector shaft does notexceed a predetermined value.

The end of the connector shaft 180 remote from the overload releasecoupling 175, FIG. 4, extends inwardly through the suitable opening in asidewall 218 of a gear housing 219. The gear housing is secured byscrews 220 to a plate 221 which is secured to the sewing machine housing222 by the bolts 223 which secure the head plate or cover 224 ofthesewing machine to the housing. A suitable bearing 225 is provided in thesidewall for the connector shaft.

A bevel gear 228 is secured as by a setscrew 229 to the connector shaftand meshes with a bevel gear 231 secured to a vertical shaft 232, as bya setscrew 233, which is journaled by suitable bearings 235 in the topand bottom walls 237 and 238 of the gear housing. The bottom end of thevertical shaft 232 is connected to the top end of the shaft 240 ofaroller 241 of the moving and pressing assembly 64 by a flexible coupling243 which includes a top section 244 telescoped on the lower end of thevertical shaft 232 and rigidly secured thereto by a pin 245, an uppertubular section 247 which is connected to the top section for pivotalmovement about mutually perpendicular axes by means of a pivot member247 which is connected to the upper section by pins 247a and to the topsection by pins 248, a lower tubular section 251 which is connected by aconnector member 252 to a bottom section 253 for movement relativethereto about mutually perpendicular axes, the bottom section beingtelescoped over the top end of the roller shaft 240 and secured theretoby a pin 254. The connector member 252 is rotatably secured to the lowerend of the lower section by pins 256 and to the bottom section by pins257.

The upper and lower sections of the flexible coupling 243 have inserts259 and 260 rigidly secured thereto which are provided with passages 26]and 262, respectively, of square cross-sectional configuration in whichis received the connector bar 265 which is also square in cross section.The connector bar is rigidly secured in any adjusted position to theupper connector section 246 by a setscrew 267 which extends throughsuitable threaded apertures in the upper tubular section 246 and theinset 259. The lower portion of the connector bar is longitudinallyslidable in the insert 260 of the lower connector section 251. Theflexible coupling 243 is required since the shaft 240 is swingable aboutthe axis of pivotal movement of the roller bracket 270 on which it isrotatably mounted by means of the bearing assemblies 271 disposed insuitable apertures in the upper and lower horizontal arms 272 and 273 ofthe bracket.

The roller bracket 270 is mounted on the horizontal arm 275 of a mountbracket 276 (FIGS. 4, 6 and 13) whose vertical legs 277 are secured tothe base 280 of the sewing machine, which itself is secured to thesupport plate 70 by bolts 281, by means of screws 282. The screws extendthrough suitable apertures in the legs of the mount bracket and the heatinsulation blocks 283 which hold the legs out of contact with the metalbase to minimize heat transfer to the base of the sewing machine. Asillustrated in FIG. 13 it is preferable that the screws by of somewhatsmaller diameter than the apertures of the legs through which theyextend, so that the heat transfer from the legs is through only therelatively small area of contact of the screw heads with the legs.

The shaft 285 by which the roller bracket 270 is pivotally secured tothe mount bracket 276 extends through bearing assemblies 286 and 287disposed in the vertically aligned apertures 288 and 289 of the arm 275and a bearing block 290, respectively, rigidly secured to the leg 277 bymeans of screws 291. The upper reduced end portion of the bolt 285 isthreaded in the reduced top portion 294 of the downwardly opening boreof the roller bracket.

The roller 241 has a central hub 297 through which the shaft 240 extendsand which is rigidly secured to the shaft 240 by a setscrew 298. Thecylindrical outer rim of the roller, which is preferably knurled on itsexternal surface, is integral with an annular connector portion 302 ofthe roller so that the roller provides upwardly and downwardly openingannular recesses 304 and 305, respectively. The roller is heated by asuitable heating element or assembly 310 which is positioned within theannular top recess 304 by means of an annular insulating ring 311 towhich it is secured in any suitable manner.

The insulation disc itself is connected to the top arm 272 of the rollerbracket by L-shaped brackets 312 which are screwed to the top arm byscrews 314 and to the insulation ring by screws 315. The heating element310 is connectable across an input circuit of electric current byconductors 316 and 317 which are connected to the threaded terminal 318of the element by nuts 319.

The roller bracket is movable in a clockwise direction, FIG. 6, from itsinoperative position about the axis of the shaft or bolt 285 by anoperator assembly 320 which includes a pneumatic ram 321 whose cylinder322 is secured by means of the screws 323 of the cylinder which extendthrough apertures in the flanges 325 of the cylinder into downwardlyopening bores in a block of heat insulating material 326. The block issecured to the mount bracket 276 by means of screws 327 whicliiextendinto suitable threaded horizontal bores of the insulation block. Airfrom a suitable source of air under pressure may be introduced into andexhausted from the outer end of the ram cylinder thorough a fitting 330which is threaded at 331 in the outer end of the ram cylinder and whichis connected to a conduit 332, provided with a manually adjustablepressure regulator valve 333, which extends to such source. The piston335 of the ram is provided with an O-ring 336 which seals between thepiston and the internal surfaces of the cylinder and its rod 338 extendsoutwardly through a suitable bushing 339 in the end cap 340 ofthecylinder which is secured thereto by screws 342. An exhaust port 344 ofthe cylinder permits flow of air into and exhaust of air from thecylinder between the piston and the end cap. The piston is biased to itsretracted or inoperative position by a spring 348 whose opposite endportions bear against the end cap 320 and the piston.

The piston rod at its outer end is provided with a screw 349 whichextends through an elongate slot 351 in a spring 352. The end of thespring is disposed in a slot in the horizontal portion of a bracket 353and is secured thereto by screws 354. The bracket 353 is secured to thelower arm 273 of the roller bracket 270 of the roller by screws 356,FIG. 5.

It will be apparent that when air under pressure is introduced into theouter end of the ram cylinder 322 through the fitting 330, the piston ismoved to its operative position against the resistance of the spring 348and thus causes the roller bracket to pivot in a clockwise directionabout the axis of its shaft 285. The spring 352, of course, may flexsomewhat when the pivotal movement of the roller bracket is arrested.The force with which the roller 241 presses the folded sections of thepieces of material may be adjusted to any desired value by adjustment ofthe pressure regulator valve 333 which regulates the pressure of the airadmitted therethrough to the cylinder. The roller 241, when the rollerbracket 270 is pivoted in a clockwise direction moves toward the rearconcave surface 360, which lies in a cylindrical vertical plane, of astationary block 361 of the folding assembly. The radius of curvature ofthe concave surface 360 is substantially equal to the radius ofcurvature of the external surface of the moving and pressing roller 241.The stop block also has a front vertical convex surface 363 at itsforward end which curves toward a substantially planar vertical surface364 intermediate the concave and convex vertical surfaces 360 and 363.

The stop block has front top and bottom surfaces 367 and 368,respectively, which curve divergently rearwardly to the planar top andbottom surfaces 369 and 370 thereof so that vertical thickness of theblock increases from the forward end of the block at the locations ofthe vertically convex side surfaces 363.

The stationary block at its front end is provided with a thin L-shapeddivider or guide plate 372 whose front end is rigidly secured as bywelding, brazing or the like in a forwardly opening slot of the block361. The rearwardly forwardly extending long portion 373 of the guideplate extends along the left side, FIG. 6, of the usual feeder bar 374of the sewing machine and its front portion 375 extends forwardly infront of the feeder bar 374. The rear portion of the guide plate has anenlarged portion providing a convex edge 376.

The block 361 has an outwardly extending arm 380 which is secured to therear end of a substantially L-shaped over arm 381 by a pair of screws383 which extend through suitable apertures in the arm 380 and a heatinsulating block or pad 384 into suitable threaded bores in the reducedend portion 385 of the over arm. The insulation block is provided tolimit transfer of heat from the block 361 to the over arm. A cam piece386 is also secured to the over arm to provide an upwardly slopingsurface from the top surface of the over arm to the top surface of thearm 380. The cam piece is spaced from the adjacent side of the arm 380to prevent heat flow therefrom. The over arm has a front transverselyextending portion 387 which extends in front of the sewing machinefeeder bar and is secured by screws 385 to a bracket 390 whose verticalleg 39] is secured by screws 392 to the base of the sewing machine.

The folding assembly 62 includes a vertical cam plate 401 which isdisposed rearwardly of the feeder bar 374 and a very short distance tothe right of the needle aperture 402 of the throat plate 403 which has araised or boss 405 at the location of the usual longitudinal slots 406and 407 thereof through which the feeder bar is movable so that itsteeth may move up wardly of the top surface 408. The cam plate has topand bottom edges 411 and 412, respectively, which diverge rearwardly,the central horizontal axis of the cam plate being substantially alignedwith the top surface 408 of the throat plate boss 405 so that the topedge extends upwardly and rearwardly of the top surface 408 and thebottom edge 412 extends downwardly and rearwardly of the top surface408.

The cam plate is rigidly secured, as by welding, to a guide plate 414which extends forwardly at the right side of the boss 405 and has afront angular portion or leg 415 which overlaps the portion 375 of theguide plate 367. The guide plate 414 is secured by rivets 416 to a slidebar 417 which in turn is mounted on spacer bar 419 by means of a pair ofscrews 420 and 421. The screws 420 extend through an elongated slot 423of the slider bar into threaded bores of the spacer bar. The slider barand therefore the cam plate 401 is biased toward the throat plate by aspring 425, one of whose hooked ends extends about a pin 426 whichextends transversely through the slot 423 and whose other end is hookedabout the shank of the screw 421. Rearward movement of the slider bar inthe opposite direction is adjustable limited by an adjusting screw 428which is threaded through a suitable bore in the end of the slider barand whose inner shank is engageable with the shank of the screw 420. Thespacer bar in turn is secured to a support member 429 of the sewingmachine. The throat plate is also secured to the support member 429 byscrews 432.

The folding assembly also includes a vertical-stop 435 which isadjustably secured to the sewing machine table member 436 by means ofscrews 437 which extend through the elongate slot 438 and the leg 439 ofthe stop.

The stop 435, as will be explained below, predetermines the width of thesections56 and 58 of the material which extend outwardly of the seam 53,it being apparent that if the stop is moved to the right, their width isincreased and ifit is moved to the left their width is decreased.

A top plate 440 which may be pivoted to the broken line positionindicated in H0. 6 is pivotally secured by a screw or bolt 443 to thesupport member 429. The plate is releasably held in its normal operativeposition by a spring clip 444 secured to the underside of the arm 390 bya threaded stud 391 which extends through a slot in the clip and a wingnut 448.

The sewing machine itself may be any suitable commercially availabletype, as for example, a Union Special, and operates in the usualwell-known manner. Such machine, however, is modified only in that thetop surface 408 of its throat plate at the location of the feeder bar israised by the provision of the boss 405 and by the modification of theusual feed bar rack 450 which permits the location of the roller 241rear wardly of the feed bar and downwardly of the top surface 408 of thethroat in order to permit the folded sections of the pieces of materialboth above and below the seam to be engaged between the roller and theconcave surface 360 of the stop block 361 without in any manner changingthe linear rearward movement of the sewed pieces of material. The feedbar rack 450 which is driven by a shaft 451 of the sewing machine causesthe feeder bar to be in an upper position holding the pieces of materialbeing sewed against the pressure plate or foot 84 of the sewing machinewhich is mounted on the presser bar 452 during each downward and upwardvertical reciprocation of the needle 453 secured to the needle bar 454,then moves the feeder bar rearwardly to move the pieces of materialbeing sewed rearwardly a predetermined distance, then moves downwardlythen forwardly and then upwardly to again hold the cloth being sewedagainst the presser foot during the next vertical downward and upwardreciprocation of the needle.

The modification of the feed bar rack 450 resides in the provision ofthe arm 458 which slopes downwardly and rearwardly at a lower level thansuch arm is present in the usual sewing machine feed bar rack and itsconnection to the arm 459 of a bracket 460 which is mounted on a shaft461 of a rocker 462 of the sewing machine. The structure and mode ofoperation of such machine being well known will not be described ingreater detail herein.

The conduit 65 through which steam is conducted to the folding assemblyis provided throughout its length with an electric heating element orwire 470 wound about the conduit 465. A layer 471 of insulation, such asasbestos, in turn covers the heating element 470. The conduit is securedby a suitable clamp or connector 474 to a post 475 which in turn issecured by suitable screws to heat insulation block 476 which in turn ismounted on the insulation block 326 to which the hydraulic ram 321 issecured. The mounting of the main conduit on heat insulating blocks alsoprotects the sewing machine operative elements of the sewing machinefrom becoming overheated.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 and 28 of the drawings, theoperation ofa solenoid valve 480 which alternatively connects theconduit 332 to a conduit 482 which in turn is connected to a source ofgas under pressure or to a vent 483 and of a solenoid valve 485 whichwhen open controls flow of steam from the conduit 489 to the steamconduit 65, is controlled by a normally closed switch 490 mounted on thebellcrank 100 which, when the treadle is depressed, closes as itsoperator button 491 moves out of engagement with the housing of theelectric motor. The bellcrank is biased to its inoperative positionwherein the drive shaft of the motor is not connected to the drive shaftof the sewing machine by a hook 494, which engages the vertical arm ofthe bellcrank and a spring 495. The hook is biased to the'left as seenin FIG. 2, by the spring, one of whose ends bears against a bracket 496to which the shank of the hook extends and whose other end bears againsta washer 497 which is held in any suitable adjusted position on the hookshank by a wingnut 498. lt will be apparent that the force which thebellcrank and the treadle are held in their inoperative positions may beadjusted by adjusting the position of the wing nut on the threaded shankof the hook 494.

When the switch 490 closes, it connects the relay winding 501 ofa relay502 across the input circuit 503 by means of the conductors 504, 505 and506, and also simultaneously connects the relay winding 508 ofa relay509 across the input circuit by means of the conductors 504, 505, 510,511 and 506. When the relay winding 501 is energized, it moves itscontact 514 to its closed position and causes the solenoid winding 516of the compressed air valve 480 to be connected across the input circuitthrough the conductors 504, 418, 519, 520 and 506. When the solenoidwinding 516 is energized, the operative element of the valve 480 ismoved to such position that the conduit 332 is connected by the valve tothe conduit 482 so that compressed air is transmitted to the cylinder ofthe pneumatic ram thus causing the roller bracket to be pivoted and theroller 241 to move toward the stopblock 361.

The relay winding 508 when it is energized causes its contact 530 tomove to closed position and connects the solenoid winding 531 of thesteam valve 485 across the input circuit by means of the conductors 504,532, 533, 534 and 536 and 506. The valve 485 when its solenoid winding531 is energized opens to permit steam to flow from the source 89 to thesteam conduit 65. The heating element which is wound about the conduit65 is connectable across the input circuit through the conductors 504,532, and 538, a manual switch 539, a conductor 540, a thermostaticswitch 541 which opens when the temperature of the conductor conduit 65exceeds a predetermined temperature, for example, 2l5 F., and theconductors 542, 536 and 506.

The sewing machine motor is connectable across the input circuit by amanual switch 550 and the conductors 504, 532, 538, 551, 552, 536 and506.

The heating element 310 of the roller 241 is connectable across theinput circuit bythe manual switch 539, the conductors 504, 532, 533,55.6"and 557, a thermostat 558 which opens when the temperature of theroller exceeds a predetermined value, and the conductors 559', 560, and536.

In use, when itis desired to sew the two pieces 51 and 52 of material toone another and fold the section 58 on the section 57 and the section 56on the section 55, the manual switches are closed, the heating element310 then raises the temperature of the roller, and the heating element470 raises the temperature of the steam conduit.

The switch 550 is then closed and the electric motor runs. The sewingmachine, however, will now remain inoperative until the treadle 80 isdepressed. The two pieces ofmaterial 51 and 52 are then overlapped indesired relationship in which they are to be sewed to one another, thebottom piece 51 is then inserted below the over arm and above the plate443 the top piece is placed over the over arm, and the pieces are thenmoved laterally until the edges of the two pieces engage the stop 535and then rearwardly. The presser foot is raised by depressing thetreadle 79 and the leading edges of the pieces are then moved below thepresser foot in the usual manner wherein the treadle 79 is allowed torise. The treadle 80 isthen depressed causing the clutch 106 to connectthe pulley 110 to the motor drive shaft and cause operation of thesewing machine. During this depression of the treadle 80, the switch 490closes thus causing the valve 485 to open and the valve 480 to connectthe conduit 332 to the supply conduit 482 of compressed air. As aresult, steam now begins to 'flow through the heated conduit 65 anddischarges through the apertures 66.

of the steam conduit toward the stopblock rearwardly of the cam plateand the piston of the pneumatic ram is moved to its extended positioncausing the-roller bracket to pivot in a clockwise direction about theaxis ofits shaft 240 and the roller is thus moved toward the concavesurface 360-of the stopblock 361.

The movement of the clutch 106 to its operative position now causes thesewing machine to operate in the usual manner and also causes the inputshaft 138 of the speed reducing transmission 140 ,to be rotated whichcauses its output shaft 162 to rotate. The overload release coupling 175now causes the connector shaftZ'182 to rotate whichin turn causes thever-v tical shaft 323 and therefore the moving and heating rollermanner. The top piece ofmaterial moves over the guide plates 373 and414. As the forward edges 570 an 571 of the top and bottom pieces moveto the positions of the cam plate and the stopblock 361, the sections 55and 56 of the bottom piece are folded downwardly-from the seam topositions parallel to one another and the sections 57 and 58 are foldedupwardly parallel to each other from the seam. As the pieces of materialmove toward the locations oftheir engagement with the roller, they aresubjected to the steam from the outlet or nozzle 66 of the steam conduit65; The heat and pressure applied thereto by the roller presses thefolded sections and as they move from rearwardly of the stopblock, thefolded back sections are pressed and will remain in such foldedpositions. During the sewing process, the pieces are alternately movedrearwardly and held against movement by the presser bar.

If the roller tends to exert a rearward force on the pieces of materialwhich exceeds a predetermined value when the rear ward movement of thepieces is prevented by the presser bar, the overload release clutchpermits rotation of the shaft 162relative to the connector shaft 180.

When the pieces of material are sewed throughout their length, theoperator continues to operate the sewing machine making a chain ofstitches C until the rear or trailing edges of the two pieces ofmaterial move out of contact with the roller and the block. The operatorthen pulls to the left such sewed pieces of material and the chain ofstitches, which extends from the needle to the rear ends of the pieces,is moved forcibly to the left and between a pair of adjacent coils of aspring 580 secured to the ears 581 and 582 of a bracket 583 which issecured to the stopblock 361 by the screws 584. The hooked opposite endsof the spring are received in apertures 585 and edge slots 586 of theears. A knife or razor blade 590 is also secured by the screws 584between the bracket 583 and the stopblock and its edge 581 which ispositioned forwardly of the edge 592 of the bracket and it cuts thechain stitch. The operator then inserts a second pair of pieces into theapparatus in the manner described above and as the sewing thereofproceeds, the roller presses the chain of stitches against the stopblockand move the chain of stitches rearwardly until the leading edges ofthesecond pair move into engagement with the concave surface of thestopblock and the peripheral surface of the roller. It will thus be seenthat the operator need guide the leading edges of only the first pair ofpieces sewed by the operator and thereafter the chain stitch will beemployed to pull and guide the leading edges of each pair of sewedpieces of material through the folding assembly and into the pressingassembly.

Due to the fact that the sewed pieces of material never change directioneither vertically or horizontally during their movement from the sewingmachine through the folding and pressing assemblies, no wrinkling of thepieces of material at the locations of their folding will take place anda smooth pressed job is obtained.

The cam plate since it may move laterally outwardly to the right, asseen in FIG. 6, as the thickness of the material requires as the foldedsections move between the vertical planar surface of the cam plate andthe facing vertical planar surface 364 of the stopblock 361. The spring425 causes the cam plate to exert a predetermined pressure or forceagainst the material. This adjustable mounting of the cam plate alsopermits accommodation of the position of the cam plate to compensate forvariations in the thickness of the pieces being sewed together.

It will now be seen that a new and improved sewing apparatus has beenillustrated and described which includes guide means, such as the overarm bar and the guide plates 373 and 414 separating top and bottompieces of material which are sewed by the sewing machine, folding meansfor folding the sections of each piece in the same direction from theseam and means for moistening the folded sections with steam and thenpressing the folded sections.

It will further be seen that the elements of the pressing'apparatuswhich are hot, such as the roller and the steam conduit 65, are securedto the other elements of the apparatus by means which minimize transferof heat from the pressing assembly to the other elements and thusprevent damage to the machine or injury or discomfort to the operatorwhich could occur if elements of the machine were raised to a hightemperature which cause the lubricating oil to dry up.

It will further be seen that the apparatus is provided with a device forcutting and holding a chain of stitches formed by the sewing machinewhich extends from the rear or trailing edges of the sewedpieces ofmaterial and the needle of the machine so that the leading edges of asubsequent pair of pieces of material may be pulled and guided throughthe fold ing apparatus by the moving and pressing assembly.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 26 and 27 of the drawings, the overarm 381 is provided with a moving as sembly 600 which permits theoperator to move the over arm laterally to the left when desirable, asduring the sewing ofzip pers to the pieces of material. The lateralsection 387a of the over arm extends over and slides on the top surfaceof the bracket 390 and within a U-shaped guide member 601 and below atop cover plate 603. The guide member and cover plate are secured to,the bracket 390 by bolts or screws 605. A rack gear 608 is secured-byscrews 609 to the section 387a. A section gear 608 whose teeth mesh withthe teeth of the rack gear is rigidly secured" to a shaft 612 whichextends downwardly through 'a suitable aperture in the bracket 390 and abearing block613 secured to the leg 391 of the bracket The shaft 612 isrotatable by the left knee of the operator by means of a linkage whichincludes a lever 615 pivotally mounted intermediateits ends as at 616 toa bolt 617 which extends downwardly fromthe support plate 70. The leveris biased in a counterclockwise direction, as seen from above, by aspring 618 one of whose ends is secured to the bracket 620 secured tothe support plate and whose other end is secured to the rear end of thelever 615. The rear end of the lever is also connected by a link 620 toan arm 622 to an arm 623 secured to the lower end of theshaft 612 in anysuitable manner as by a hub 624 and setscrew 625. The link 622 ispivotally connected to the rear ends of the lever 615 and the arm 623.

It will now be apparent that a new and improved apparatus has beenillustrated and described which includes a folding assembly 62 forfolding upwardly into vertical parallel relationship sections 57 and 58of a top piece 52 sewed to a bottom piece 51 overlapped by the top pieceand for folding downwardly into vertical parallel relationship sections55 and 56 of the bottom piece extending from the seam, and a moving andpressing assembly 64'disposed rearwardly of the folding assembly forpressing the vertical sections of the pieces to cause them to lie inflat and parallel relationship.

It will further be seen that the folding assembly includes guide plates372 and 414 disposed on opposite sides of the presser foot and feed barof a sewing machine for separating the top and bottom pieces on oppositesides of the line of the seam and a cam plate 401 and a stopblock 361having rear wardly divergent surfaces for folding the sections of eachpieces sewed by the machine on opposite sides of the seam into parallelpositions.

It will also be seen that the cam plate is biased toward the stopblockand its movement toward the stopblock is adjustably limited by anadjusting screw 428.

It will also be seen that the stopblock has a means for cutting a chainof stitches rearwardly of the block and holding the portion of the chainwhich extends from the rear end of the stopblock to the needle of thesewing machine and in position to be engaged by a presser roller 241 sothat the roller by engaging the chain and holding it against thestopblock may move the next pair ofpieces through the folding device.

it will further be seen that the apparatus includes means for causingthe presser roller to rotate and move toward the stopblock each time thesewing machine is placed in operation.

It will also be seen that the heated elements of the folding andpressing assembly are mounted on other components of the apparatus bymeans which prevent or limit heat transfer therefrom.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, andchanges in the details of the construction illustrated may be made bythose skilled in the art, within the scope ofthe appended claims,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

lclaim:

1. An apparatus for use with a sewing machine having a feeder bar andpresser foot for engaging pieces of material being sewed by the machine,said apparatus including: a folding assembly positionable rearwardly ofthe feeder bar and presser foot of a sewing machine for folding upwardlyinto vertical parallel relationship sections of a top piece of materialextending from a seam sewed by the machine connecting the top piece to abottom piece of material overlapped by the top piece and for foldingdownwardly into vertical parallel relationship sections of the bottompiece of material extending from the seam; and a moving and pressingassembly disposed rearwardly of said folding assembly for pressing thevertical sections of the pieces to cause them to lie permanently in flatand parallel positions, said folding device including means positionableon opposite sides of the feeder bar and presser foot ofa machine forseparating the top and bottom pieces of material as they move rearwardlythrough the machine and are stitched together by the machine on oppositesides of the seam connecting the'two pieces, a block positionablerearwardly of the presser foot and feeder bar at on side of the seambeing stitched by the machine and providing a vertical planar surface,and a cam plate providing a vertical surface at the other side of theseam and facing said vertical surface, said block and said cam platehaving top surfaces extending rearwardly and upwardly and bottomsurfaces extending downwardly and rearwardly and upwardly and bottomsurfaces extending downwardly and rearwardly of the horizontal plane ofthe seam.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said block having vertical concave surfacerearwardly of said vertical planar surface, and a roller movable towardssaid concave surface for pressing the folded sections against saidconcave surface and rotatable for moving said pieces rearwardly.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, and first means for moving said rollertoward said stopblock and drive means for rotating said roller.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said drive means includes a drivingshaft, a driver shaft, an overload release coupling connecting saidshafts and permitting rotation of said driving shaft relative to saiddriver shaft when the force resisting the rotation of said driver shaftexceeds a predetermined value, and means connecting said roller to saiddriver shaft.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, and means for heating said roller andsteaming means for directing steam on the folded sections of the piecesbetween said folding assembly and said moving and pressing assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, and means for mounting said apparatus on asewing machine, said mounting means including insulting means forpreventing conduction of heat from said moving and pressing assembly andsaid steaming means to the sewing machine.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, and means for heating said roller.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, and steaming means for directing steam onthe folded sections if the pieces between said folding assembly and saidmoving and pressing assembly.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, control means for controlling operation ofsaid steaming means, and means operatively associated with said controlmeans, said first means and said drive means for causing operation ofsaid steaming means, said first means and said drive means during thesewing of a pair ofpieces ofmaterial.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cam plate is mounted forlimited movement relative to said planar surface, and means biasing saidcam plate toward said planar surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, and means for limiting movement of saidcam plate toward said planar surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, and means for moving said stopblock awayfrom said cam plate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, and means biasing said stopblock towardsaid cam plate.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said block is connected to an armextending forwardly of the presser foot and feeder bar of the sewingmachine and having a front extension extending substantiallyperpendicularly from said arm and in front of the feeder bar and presserfoot of the sewing machine. and means for securing said front extensionremote from said arm to a sewing machine to permit the bottom piece tomove under the arm and extension and the top piece to move over the armand extensionduring the sewing of the pieces to one another by thesewing machine.

15. The apparatus of claim [4, and insulating means between saidstopblock and said arm for preventing conduction of heat from said blockto said arm.

16. The apparatus-of'claim l5, and means operatively associated withsaid means for securing said extension to a sewing machine for movingsaid arm laterally away from said cam plate. 1-

17. The apparatus of claim I, and means for cutting a chain of stitchessecured to said stopblock, and means for holding a chain of stitchesextending from the needle of the sewing machine to the cutting means. i

18. An apparatus for use with a sewing machine having a feeder bar andpressure .foot for engaging pieces of material being sewed by themachine, said apparatus including: a folding assembly positionablerearwardly of the feeder bar and presser foot of a sewing machine forfolding upwardly into vertical parallel relationship sections of a toppiece of material extending from a seam sewed by the machine connectingthe top piece to a bottom piece of material overlapped by the top pieceand for folding downwardly into vertical parallel relationship sectionsof the bottom piece of material extending from the seam; and a movingand pressing assembly disposed rearwardly of said folding assembly forpressing the vertical sections of the pieces to cause them to liepermanently in flat and parallel positions, and steaming means fordirecting steam on the folded sections between said folding assembly andsaid moving and pressing assembly, said steaming means including aconduit having a nozzle opening for directing steam form said conduit,said conduit being connectable to a source of steam, and means forheating said conduit to prevent condensation of moisture therein.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, and means for mounting said apparatus ona sewing machine, said mounting means including insulating means forpreventing conduction of heat from said moving and pressing assembly tothe sewing machine.

